TUSCALOOSA, Alabama -- After three days of traversing the state in search of Alabama's best cheeseburger, I'm forced to ask myself a question.

How, gentle readers, did we ever make it to anywhere in the world without the incessant assistance of the odd lady who barks out instructions from our mobile devices? The lady with the annoying, persistent voice may not be much on diction, but she certainly has a vast working knowledge of the highways and byways of Alabama.

This disembodied voice has led your working boy to virtually every quarter of Alabama in search of the best cheeseburger in our realm. She took your suggestions and has successfully guided us around in such a way that would make Magellan happy.

On Wednesday she took our little troupe of burger fanatics to the western section of the state to sample the offerings you recommended from the Tuscaloosa area. We were in the home of the Crimson Tide and as I found out, some mighty good burgers.

Our band of merry burger mates included yours truly, my trusty traveling companion Jessica Rigby and we were proud to re-unite with Ben Flanagan who joined us in our Monday trek through Montgomery and Auburn.

Oasis Bar and Grille

One step inside the Oasis Bar and Grille and I was struck with a sudden and unmistakable feeling of deja vu.

Oh, trust me, I've never been to this small roadside bar and grill just on the outskirts of Alabama. But I confess that I spent a lot of days (and nights) in just such roadside establishments during my long and very colorful misspent youth.

This small eatery first opened its doors way back in 1949 when the U.S. 11 was one of the main connections between Tuscaloosa and Birmingham. It began business as the Hi-Way Café and its mission was feeding weary travelers on the way to someplace else.

In 1952, Mary Sue Boothe and her husband Victor took it over and they ran it up until about 2007 when Mary died and left it to her daughter Vicki Hall who now runs it with her son, Jake Beerman.

Kids, the Oasis is a true example of a real road house where food and drinks were served with equal parts attitude and fun. "Back in the '60s when things would get rowdy Mary Sue would put you out and lock the door," said Erin Hughes, the delightful day waitress who was our tour guide on this day.

The main dining room has tables and chairs and out back in a separate room are a pool table and a few booths. A wrap-around bar dominates the main room.

It still serves as a watering hole for a diverse mix of blue collar workers, students from the nearby University of Alabama and alumnus from said university. On Tuesdays, Erin said, the German and Austrian execs from the nearby Mercedes Benz plant stop by for a few belts of heavy beer before heading home.

But it was the cheeseburger that lured me to this tiny brick bar on this rainy/sunny summer afternoon.

Erin said a good chunk of their lunch and dinner trade is dedicated to burgers; the kitchen closes at 9 p.m. during the week and 10 p.m. on Wednesday and Fridays (Wednesday is karaoke night.)

They offer two burgers, but Erin said their bell cow was the double cheeseburger – two 6-8 ounce all beef patties that come dressed with lettuce, tomato, pickles, onion, ketchup and mustard and is topped with a slice or so of American cheese.

"It comes one way because one way is the best way," Erin said, explaining that they try not to mess with the original too much.

It is cooked on a flat-top griddle and served up hot and juicy. No fancy seasonings, just salt and pepper. The fries that come with the combo that I ordered are plentiful, crinkle cut and very hot.

Yeah, but what does it taste like? This burger's hearty reputation and solid fan base is well deserved.

It was packed with flavor that will be familiar to anybody who grew up in an era when roadside grills were popular and turning out food fast and good.

Menu price for a huge double burger: $6.99 by itself or for a real deal, go with the combo that comes with fries and drink for $9.49.

It was nothing fancy, but that's just how I wanted it. It almost made me want to order a beer and hang around for karaoke later that night. Oh, and if you go in, ask them about The Liar's Table.

Avenue Pub

One of the city's newest dining destinations sprang up just five short months ago in downtown Tuscaloosa amid what appeared to be a non-stop construction blitz.

The Avenue Pub was opened on Jan. 13 by Craig Willliams who was eager to serve tasty, innovative and familiar fair to what he saw was a rapidly changing streetscape in T-town. The Mobile native, who graduated from The University with a degree in Restaurant and Hospitality Management, decided to quit his job of 10 years at another local eatery and open his own place.

On the menu for Thursday, June 12: J&J Grocery in Bessemer, Chez Fonfon in Birmingham and Chubb's Grub Station in Alabaster. (Lesley Delchamps/Alabama Media Group)

Surrounded by bars, he wanted to offer a pub that served something different. "I wanted a place that served traditional American bar fare, but cranked up a notch," he said. It is a bar, but food is the main focus of the endeavor, he said.

The traditional bacon burger is a hand-patted mix of ground chuck and sirloin that he buys from a local vendor. Sirloin, I asked? "We sampled a lot of blends when we were starting out and this one just tasted the best," he said.

The burger starts with a hand-patted 8-ounce burger that is cooked on a traditional flat-top grill. It is seasoned with kosher salt and fresh ground black pepper.

It is turned only once, and then doused with a bit of Worcestershire sauce and a special "secret" seasoning blend that rounds out the flavors. It is topped with a slab of provolone cheese that is melted and then it is on to the special brioche bun where it is dressed with mixed greens, red onion and just a little bit of mayonnaise.

It comes with a choice of a side, but most people opt for the hand-cut French fries that are made from fresh potatoes and served in a small cup dressed with a bit of kosher salt. The whole thing is served on a wooden plank.

Yeah, but how does it taste? Well, the sirloin adds a really nice, new flavor to the burger. It was incredibly juicy and the mix of chuck and sirloin was uniquely delicious.

The field greens offered a nice surprise. The heat of the burger caused them to wilt just slightly, altering the flavor in a really delightful way. It hasn't changed much since they first opened and with the emphasis on quality that they employ, I'm not sure I would fiddle with a thing.

Menu price for a bacon cheeseburger: $13 for dinner, $11 for lunch.

They have taken burger-making to a new, exciting level. Oh, and the fries were spectacular.

Five Bar

The older I get the more I'm convinced that that simpler things are the better off things will be.

The folks at Five Bar in Tuscaloosa understand this and have built a very successful business around this simple notion. The name – Five Bar – is a hint of what's about to come.

Richard Alter, the assistant manager of this lovely, airy and spacious downtown Tuscaloosa bar, said when the owners wanted to do a new restaurant they decided to make things simple by limiting the menu options to (don't get ahead of me here) five options for appetizers, entrees, wines, etc.

"The idea was to keep it simple and our customers have bought into the concept," he said.

One of the entrée items offered is their take on a bacon cheeseburger, but with an innovative twist that is tasty and fun.

They start with a 73/27 blend of Angus beef that provides a very juicy burger that is packed with flavor and consistency. Their burger is two 4-ounce patties that are hand-patted, seasoned with kosher salt and fresh ground black pepper (and a bit of proprietary seasoning) and cooked on a massive flat-iron grill.

Here is where things get interesting. Instead of topping with a slice or two of bacon and some tomatoes, the folks at Five Bar have come up with a really tasty bacon and tomato relish that is made up of chopped cooked bacon, red onion and a small bit of mayo. Imagine a BLT without the L and served atop a juicy burger and you'll get an idea of what's going on here.

It is topped with American cheese and served atop a very soft egg bread roll. Why egg bread roll? "We went through several rolls and this was clearly the best one; I like to eat it without anything on it," Alter said.

It is served with a seasonal mixed green salad that is a 50/50 mix of romaine and spring mix, seasonal fruit (this time of year it was blackberries, strawberries) and toasted almonds, goat cheese, a bit of orange zest and dressed with light white balsamic vinaigrette.

The fries are hand-cut fresh fries that are served up crispy and hot. They are served with a spicy dipping sauce and ketchup.

Yeah, but how did taste? The bacon relish really took the burger to new heights of creativity. It was a nicely smoky counterpoint to the juicy burger and on the advice of the staff at Five, I dipped the burger in the sauce for the fries and that made for a truly fine burger experience.

Menu price for this innovative feast for the senses? $13.

Sometimes you have to think outside of the norm and when you do this is the burger for you. A real treat that makes you wonder why people haven't been doing this all along.